Underemployment has remained persistently high in the aftermath of the Great Recession with workers younger than 30 especially feeling the pinch, according to new research from the Carsey Institute at the University of New Hampshire.

Underemployment is defined as part-time workers in search of full-time work or working part-time because the hours of a former full-time job were reduced involuntarily.

“While on the decline, these rates have yet to return to their prerecession levels. Moreover, as the recession and other economic forces keeps older workers in the economy, openings for full-time jobs for younger workers might remain limited in the short-term,” said Justin Young, a doctoral student in sociology at UNH and a research assistant at the Carsey Institute.

His research is presented in the brief “Underemployment in Urban and Rural America, 2005-2012.” The analysis is based on data from the Integrated Public Use Micro Sample for 2005–2012 of the Current Population Survey.